September 30, 2007
Father Gary
I am reminded of a story about a friend of mine who is priest in a rural parish. I think it is called Our Lady of the poorest of the people. The parishioners were honest, hard working, solid and just down right good people.
Their church was badly in need of repair. So my friend, Fr. I need a miracle, called a special meeting inside the church to raise funds. At the assembly, Fr. I need a miracle, explained the need of an emergency fund for plastering the roof and supporting pillars and the other areas which needs repair. He invited a pledge of contributions.
After a brief pause Mr. Moneybags the richest man in the parish volunteered he would give $50. Just as he sat down, a chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling on the head of Mr. Moneybags. He jumped up looking terribly startled and corrected himself: “I meant to say 500 dollars.” The congregation stood silent and stunned. Then a lone voice cried out: “Oh Lord, hit him again!”
The main themes of our readings are wealth and poverty, the rich and the poor and the reversal of fortune. Today’s readings stress the truth that wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness and deserving of eternal punishment.
Jesus tells us of the destiny of the rich man who neglected his duty to show mercy to poor Lazarus. The rich man's punishment was not for having riches, but for the neglect of the Scriptures and what they teach.
Jesus told this parable to condemn the Pharisees for their love of money and lack of mercy for the poor. He also used the parable to correct two Jewish misconceptions of that time publicized by the Sadducees: 1) They believed that material prosperity in this life is God’s reward for moral uprightness, while poverty and illness are God’s punishment for sins; hence, there is no need to help the poor and the sick for they have been cursed by God. 2) They also felt that since wealth is a sign of God’s blessing, the best way of thanking God is to enjoy it by leading a life of luxury and self-indulgence in dress, eating and drinking, of course, after giving God His portion as tithe.
Thankfully we have a different concept of God on filled with mercy and love. Jesus challenged the misconceptions by teaching through this parable that eternal salvation will come only to those who are willing to share their blessings with the less fortunate, who are really, in Christ, our own brothers and sisters. The parable condemns those with plenty who ignore the poor they encounter and offers an invitation to each one of us to be conscious of the sufferings of those around us.
God has blessed each one of us with wealth or health or special talents or social power or political influence or a combination of many blessings. The parable invites us to share what we have been given with others in various ways instead of using everything exclusively for selfish gains.
Naturally, we are tempted to ask the question, why the rich man was punished. He did not drive either the poor beggar or the stray dogs from in front of his door nor prevent either from sharing in the discarded crumbs and leftovers from his table. The Fathers of the Church find three culpable omissions in the rich man in the parable. a) He neglected the poor beggar at his door by not helping him to treat his illness or giving him a small house to live in. b) He ignored the scrolls of Sacred Scriptures kept on his table reminding him of Yahweh’s commandment given in the book of Leviticus (15: 7-11) “ Don’t deny help to the poor. Be liberal in helping the widows and the homeless.” c) He led a life of luxury and self-indulgence totally ignoring the poor people around him.
Pope John Paul II was asked why the rich man was condemned. "Was the rich man condemned because he had riches, because he abounded in earthly possessions, because he 'dressed in purple and linen and feasted sumptuously every day'?" The Holy Father answered, "No." It was not for wealth that the rich man was condemned. Here is the reason. I ask you to listen carefully to the Holy Father's words:
"The rich man was condemned because he did not pay attention to the other man, because he failed to take notice of Lazarus, the person who sat at his door and who longed to eat the scraps from his table. Nowhere does Christ condemn the mere possession of earthly goods as such. Instead, He pronounces very harsh words against those who use their possessions in a selfish way, without paying attention to the needs of others."
It is not wrong to be rich but it is wrong not to share our blessings with our less fortunate brothers and sisters.